A problem encountered in devices of the aforementioned type is that the passengers of the vehicle can injure themselves on protruding control elements when, for example, their heads or knees collide with such a control element. For this reason, such control elements are often made of a soft plastic, which enables them to give way elastically when subjected to impacts. In the case of electric cigarette lighters, it is already known to dispose them in such a way that they do not protrude from the contour of a surface into which they are integrated when they are not in use. Only when the cigarette lighter is pressed into the contour of the surface is it ejected from the contour, together with a gripping component, so that it can then be gripped.
In the case of electronic devices, retractable control elements that only enter into a protruding active position for the purpose of use are not acceptable, particularly for cost reasons. Furthermore, a disadvantage of such displaceable control elements would be that they can only be operated after they have been actuated to protrude from the device through application of brief, axial pressure, which, particularly in the case of frequently used control elements, would be cumbersome and could result in their not being returned to their retracted position following use, for reasons of convenience, thereby eliminating their safety benefits. The risk of suffering an injury on such control elements during the operating phase would exist if this happened to coincide with an accident.